


Found You

by AmuletRebel



Series: Yurileth Week 2020 [8]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, F/M, Female Byleth, Fluff, Immortality, No beta like always, Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Romance, Yurileth Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 10:14:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24349330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmuletRebel/pseuds/AmuletRebel
Summary: The war passed. Times changed. Hundreds of years came and went. Though their legacy had already been fulfilled, they still managed to end up right back where they started. He had a feeling she was someone he had met on the street. But he would've remembered someone like her. But the more time he spent with her, it was like finding a missing piece to a puzzle he didn't even know he'd lost. He wanted her. And he guessed he always did. No matter where they were. No matter the year. He promised to find her and spend every future with her.
Relationships: Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc & My Unit | Byleth, Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/My Unit | Byleth
Series: Yurileth Week 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1749703
Comments: 1
Kudos: 47





	Found You

**Author's Note:**

> Yurileth Week Day 8: Future

_In the Imperial Year 1190,_ ~~_a notorious figure_~~ _the legendary Savage Mockingbird spread his influence throughout Fodl_ _án. He was said to have_ ~~_lived in_~~ _guarded the underground realm known as Abyss, a secret haven for those otherwise unable to escape from the world above. Though he led a gang of bandits, he was in truth a symbol of hope for all. The Savage Mockingbird was_ ~~_no vicious assassin and schemer_~~ _not a simple cautionary tale told throughout the years. In fact, he was a real,_ ~~_charming_~~ _brave leader assisted in political affairs after the Unification War. He kept to the shadows to protect. However, his reputation was_ ~~_soiled_~~ _changed by_ _—_

“Ugh!” Yuri leaned back in his seat, pressing his head to his face to block out the light and nurture his growing headache. He dropped his pen down onto his notebook with a soft clack. This paper wasn’t going to write itself, but he had trouble finding the words to say. That alone made him want to laugh. A man gifted with a silver tongue but couldn’t write eloquently for shit. At least for school work.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” a woman’s voice drifted over, making him uncover his face to look. His breath caught in his throat by surprise at this lovely lady, but he quickly composed himself. He looked at her then to the empty booth across from him. Though his books were in an organized little scatter on the table, there was still room for another. He looked out to the rest of the coffee shop, ready to tell her she could find somewhere else. He wasn’t in a mood to flirt today. But then he noticed that the place was quite literally packed. The seat across from him was the only one available. How did that even happen?

“Go right ahead,” he finally answered, signalling her to take the seat.

She nodded politely and moved herself into the booth, gently setting her messenger bag down beside her. He noticed the drink in her hand. He forgot the name, but it was definitely one of those chocolatey drinks piled high with whipped cream. He didn’t take her for a sugary sweet kind of girl upon first glance. Life was full of surprises, he supposed.

He decided to just ignore her presence, needing to continue working if he hoped to finish. The woman sipped the drink from the straw, eyeing the books laid across the table.

“Folklore?”

He looked back up at her, shrugging. He easily smirked, putting up his mask. “Right you are, friend,” he said casually. “It’s an interesting topic, especially when separating truth from lies in all sorts of grand tales.”

The woman nodded her head, scanning one book in particular. The main source of his paper. She pushed a strand of her mint green hair back behind her ear while regarding him. “So you’re looking into The Savage Mockingbird?”

“You’re more perceptive than I thought,” Yuri teased, leaning closer as he got more invested in their little conversation. Call him cynical, but an intellectual conversation didn’t come often as often as he might’ve liked. Not with friends like Balthus, who was just a lovable idiot at his core. “Yes. I took an interest in his supposed legacy. He was said to be a bandit leader but–”

“Thieves.”

“What?” He blinked, confused by her sudden interruption.

“He led a group of thieves,” she replied, her mint green eyes trained on him. She played with the drink’s straw while looking down again. “He was like that tale of Robin Hood. He led a group of thieves, but he never hurt innocents. Steal from the rich, give to the poor. And the like.”

She sounded so knowledgeable about this topic. Well, if she shared his interest, he wouldn’t complain. Maybe pick her brain a little to help with his dumb paper. “Ah, I see. Accuracy is everything. You sure know your stuff, friend.” He noticed the subtle way she stiffened then relaxed while sipping her drink. And he wasn’t chalking it up to brain freeze.

“I guess,” she simply said, her gaze moving out to the window, watching people and cars go by. “He was a good man…”

“Oh? How do you figure?”

He watched her fidget a little. “The stories I’ve been told. The poems I’ve read. And there was one particular story…about the night he went up to the legendary Goddess Tower…”

“That one, huh? Honestly, I couldn’t find myself believing it.” It was wishful thinking. Or some over-saturation of the common love at first sight trope. It sounded like something developed from pure fiction. A man like the Savage Mockingbird going to the Goddess Tower to be alone before a great war-ending battle and meeting the love of his life up there? Highly unlikely.

The woman turned and stuck her hand into her bag, rummaging around it. Her hand came back up holding a phone. “I have to go now,” she said, pulling herself and her bag out of the booth. “Good luck on your research.”

“Would you like to meet up again?” he found himself asking as she stood. Though, with his quick wit, it wasn’t hard to pick himself back up. “We can compare notes. And maybe with your company, this report won’t feel as soul-sucking.”

The woman nibbled on her bottom lip, glancing away for a few moments. Probably to think. It was still a bit strange, not hearing someone agree on the spot. But he wasn’t so pretentious to think there weren’t people with reservations, whether toward interacting with people or just being wary of his intentions.

Then her gaze turned back to him, neutral but not resistant.“Alright.” She stuck her hand out to him. “I’m Byleth.”

“Yuri.” He reached out and shook her head. Something changed in her light green eyes. But it was gone before he could decipher it. At least now he had more chances to.

* * *

The coffee shop was their usual meeting place from then on. At first, they forgot to find ways to contact each other. But by pure happenstance, they had both been in the same place just a few days later. This time, he invited her to sit with him. They mostly talked about his findings on the legendary Savage Mockingbird.

“He loved his wife very much,” she stated once, not meeting his gaze as she stirred cream into her coffee. “And she loved her husband just as much.”

“Taking bits and pieces from that old story, I take it?” he questioned teasingly, curious to see her expression shift to anything but that natural stoic face Byleth seemed to have.

Her cheeks dusted pink, looking up at him. But there was something sad in her eyes when she smiled softly. “There were letters to the queen found. Letters addressed to her from her husband, but were signed with a different name. Judging by his supposed hiding of the fact, he was indeed involved in underground business. And who better dealt with that than the Savage Mockingbird.”

Huh. He never connected that many dots before. “Sounds oddly logical,” Yuri admitted, brushing the lilac bang that had fallen over his eyes to the side. “You night me onto something. To think that an infamous underground lord married the queen of Fodlán, the Ruler of Dawn herself.”

“It’s not an impossible story,” she argued, brightened up a bit. “They had clearly been through a lot together. They had their fights and their bad days. But they got through them together. And to someone like…like her, it probably meant the world and more. Um, from the letters I mean.”

Yuri laughed, leaning his elbows and the table to shift closer despite being on opposite sides. “I didn’t take you for a romance lover.”

Byleth giggled softly, and he swore his heart picked up pace. “I’ve been told I’m quite the mysterious girl.”

They talked about their interests and hobbies. He learned she fenced, but only for fun. An old friend taught her how to embroider things, though she was still a little clumsy. He told her he liked to sing, but he wouldn’t do it in public. She respected that and promised to never ask him to sing. Though, with her, he didn’t feel like he’d ever mind. Just for her.

He felt so weirdly drawn to her. Like he had met her a long time ago. But that was impossible. No way he’d ever forget that bright minty hair and that pretty little laugh. _What the fuck is wrong with me?_ He wasn’t the one who did the chasing. But Byleth had this odd charm that kept him coming back. And the more they met, the more they talked and laughed over coffee or pastries, the more he wanted her.

* * *

He noticed when she was taking off her jacket one spring afternoon. The weather had risen later in the day and she said she was getting a little hot. A little clinking sound brought his attention to her chest. And what a fine chest it was. But what he focused on was the two rings on a chain. One was silver with a neatly cut emerald. Simple but made a statement. The other was a little more intricate in design, encrusted with purple gemstones. He pointed to them, making Byleth freeze up and make a grab for them.

“What are those for?” he asked. Was she already married? If so, why didn’t she wear it on her finger? There was no line or any indication of her skin that she ever wore it.

“They’re…keepsakes,” she said, her voice a little uneven. “I’ve had them for a really long time. I know it sounds ridiculous, but wearing them like this makes the days a little less scary.”

Scary, huh? He supposed the world could be cruel at times. If someone needed a keepsake as a gentle reminder, then who was he to stop that? “I get it. Nothing to be embarrassed about, friend.” His fingers thrummed against the table, trying to find the words to say for once. “By the way, there’s the place I’ve been meaning to try dinner out at? Care to join?”

Byleth’s mint eyes widened slightly, staring at him. She was completely frozen, like a statue frozen. “L-Like a date?”her voice finally choked out softly.

He smirked, but not a sly one. He reached over and laid his hand over hers. “Yes. Exactly like a date.”

“I’d love to.”

* * *

He expected them to hit it off, but the way they flowed together so naturally sent him over the edge. Yuri was a little afraid to admit he was falling in love, once having seen love as a tool to get where you wanted to go in life. But Byleth was a different matter. They went out to different places for the past few months. They had stopped talking about the Savage Mockingbird and started discussing their daily lives and giving each other a shoulder to lean on when the days got rough.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew her from somewhere. The feeling itched at his brain and he couldn’t find the right spot to scratch. It was driving him nuts. But not once did he take it out on her. It wasn’t her fault, he reasoned. She had been nothing but kind and fun and all-around amazing to be with.

He held her hand and kissed her like he had done it millions of times before. Their first kiss occurred as they shared a merry-go-round horse at a traveling carnival, yet it didn’t _feel_ like the first. Her hand was warm in his, sending a wave of nostalgia through him when he tightened his hold just to feel how perfectly they fit together.

“I love you.” He mustered up the guts to finally say it as they sat under a shady tree in the middle of the park one warm autumn afternoon. The leaves were changing color, slowly fluttering down to the ground, getting in their hair and on their clothes. But neither of them made a big fuss about it.

He thought he was in over his head when Byleth shot up from laying in the grass. She stared at him like she just noticed the sky was falling or was riding high up on the clouds. The longer the silence dragged on, the more he thought he could come up with something to deflect and pretend he didn’t say anything.

“I love you too.”

Once she said those words, his head moved closer to hers. She looked at him with loving eyes. So why was there still that trace of sadness, barely present but still a factor? He wanted to make sure she was never sad. He couldn’t give her the world so easily, but he sure as hell wanted to try. Their lips met and he felt her shift closer as her arms moved around his neck, fingers threading through his soft locks.

He felt a coolness through his shirt, poking at him. He remembered the rings she wore around her neck, the keepsakes. She still wore his ring proudly huh?

Wait.

_His_ ring?

He broke away, staring down at her. Everything was coming together. How? How could he possibly forget her? Guess over a millennium did that to a poor soul such as his.

“I found you,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers. She jolted in shock, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared into his lavender eyes. His hand reached up, his thumb brushed unshed tears away with a soft smile. “I promised you forever, didn’t I? Every future of mine is ours to share.”

Byleth leaped into his hold, sobbing as she smiled wide. “I missed you. I missed you so much.”

“You don’t have to miss me anymore, my dear Byleth. I love you too much to do that to you again. And if I do, I expect you to knock some sense into me next time.”

“I promise, my love. My–”

He cut her off by pressing his lips to hers once more, pulling back just enough so their noses touched. “Yuri is my birth name in this time. So I would save my real real name for somewhere more private.”

She giggled at that, nudging her nose against his in an Eskimo kiss. “Understood.”

**Author's Note:**

> Final day of Yurileth Week complete! I'm happy I was part of this event! Not only did it help me be productive and explore my writing a little, but I got to show love to one of my favorite ships and see other people who shipped it as well! This brought me so much joy to do! I guess one good thing came out of my con plans being cancelled.
> 
> I hope to write more of this pairing in the future!
> 
> .....And by that I mean I'm totally doing a NSFW Yurileth compilation with the unused prompts because I still have ideas. I just ran out of time in the week to act on them.


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